Thursday, January 1, 2009

Fountaingrove Lodge, California’s first LGBTQ Senior Community, needs your help! Please mark your calendar to attend this meeting in support of its construction, which has been stagnated by opposing neighbors.

11 comments:

Anonymous
said...

THE ISSUE: The homeowners’ association in this high-priced area of Santa Rosa doesn’t want this type of development. Make them hear us. Stop the delays! Help show the City Council that further delay is unconscionable and without justification. Even if you can't attend the meeting, you need to check out this much needed "First of it's kind" LGBTQ community.

of course they don't want it. It's not only economic considerations but also deep-seated homophobia. Any time anything is proposed to make gay people's lives better, some JERK will raise his or her homophobic little head to the heavens and scream "OMG! Teh gay! NIMBY!"

Sorry you all feel this way. As a person who lives in the area in question (which i am a supporter of gay rights and a huge donor to numerous activist groups in San Fran and area) it is not the fact of a LBGT retirement community, its the plain and simple fact that the plans from what has been spoken about will start to dig into whats left of the woods, environment, and destroy what is left of the already over populated area. Funny how people are focusing on the target market portion of this and coming up with their own conclusions and are not focusing on the environmental issues or the fact that another extremely large retirement community was just built (which completely destroyed a whole mountain side and is a pretty awful eye sore. And for the benefit of those reading this, the city council is not holding back they are conducting traffic impact reports and further enviro reports since what has been told to everyone is pretty poorly planned out. This may have changed recently but so far that is all what has been said. Im all about constructive feedback or promotion of a new idea/venture but if were gonna kill the remaining beauty of an area for personal profit and promotion at least do it with some common courtesy for the overall community. I will continue to support what i do but dont make this a you vs. them approach it doesnt work and doesnt effectively communicate what this project is trying to promote. These comments posted will only make the gap larger and make those who already live in the area either despise the project or want to destroy what they are trying to create. Thank you.

I completely agree with the last post! I too live in this area. I am also gay. And I don't want any part of this construction in this area!

The beauty of this area is the open space. The deer, the wild turkey and the soaring hawks. This monstrosity as currently designed will create a high density nightmare that will kill the natural beauty of this area!

Of course I want to be around other people like me but not at any cost.

Where is the water going to come from for the new population?

It's madness! This is not about us vs. them! It's about what is good for the environment and for everyone who calls this area home! I'm for growth but it has to be smart growth!

if you do not want a building complex like this you are in the wrong County!! After 30 years I moved and once again have found country and heaven. I do believe that is what a general plan is all about, however Sonoma County never has followed the general plan. That should be more than obvious! Move or take a deep breath and accept the fact that you are sitting next to Marin and San Francisco! As for the project I think it's wonderful and needed. 7 to 10 % of the population is Lesbian Gay or Transgender. As seniors we are twice as likely to live alone and 10x less likely to have someone available to take care of us when we fall ill. 90% of us are without children.Again move of take a breath and deal with it!!

Should it not be noted that fair housing laws make a GLT retirement center illegal? Marketing to The GLT community is permissible but the developer of many retirement facilities has never indicated ""Gays and Lesbians Welcome" at any of it's other facilities.Why not? I wonder. Anyway, there's no legal foundation for a facility exclusively for the GLT community. It's false advertising and cynical exploitation of that community.

I agree with the above. I happen to be straight and would certainly not approve a "straight" retirement facility on this lovely little strip of woodland either. Nobody would, and I suspect the developer knows that. The woods at issue consist of hundreds of heritage oaks, a creek, some wet lands, birds and wildlife of all kinds, all undisturbed for the past century, and now destined for the bulldozers if this project goes through. If I were asked to name the the most environmentally sensitive and progressive community around, I would certainly choose the LGBTQ. Don't fall for the developer's smokescreen.

Actually, even marketing to the LGBTQ community may be illegal. California Fair Housing law prohibits:

*Making any statement or printing any notice or advertisement with respect to the sale or rental of a housing accommodation that indicates any preference, limitation or discrimination or intention to make such preference, limitation or discrimination." ( FEHA, Section 12995):

Do you all know what is happening now with the project?I am not from CA but interested in LGBT retirement communities from a housing typology perspective.is this community being built? do you know of any other that is currently being planned for?

Considering FGL as a residence, any 2011 building or status information in acceptance of marketing/legalities as application fees are being accepted?

Attended one luncheon with some details provided but not indepth for Q & A. Pros mentioned but afraid cons will have to come from feedback such as shown above to make those lasting decisions. Social aspects will be highly important as most of us will want to enjoy this senior time after a life's work. Other, Meeting Your Future FGL Neighbor, are also being offered. Anyone attending or doing a FGL profile? Big question, what progress has been made in all categories since the info of 2009